Author: arnold

Categories
Italian recipes sauces

Sunday Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Toni’s Garden.

This sauce is the real thing…the all day preparation, slow-cooked sauce. Best made a day ahead. Not only does it taste better the next day, but the layer of fat that has risen to the surface is easily removed.

The important thing is the ingredients. The tomatoes are critical. You can also add things like beef shortribs or braciole or even a small lamb shank. You may also notice that there is no garlic in the sauce…contrary to popular belief, Italians don’t put garlic in everything!

Remember, this sauce is an event. Be prepared to spend several hours in the kitchen, preparing and cooking. Turn on some music, enjoy the aroma and remember to have fun! It’s worth every minute you spend.

Note: If you are making the sauce for timpano, add an additional can of tomatoes, and 2 or 3 pieces of pork. Boneless country-style ribs work very well. The sauce needs to be thinner for timpáno so there is enough moisture for the pasta to finish cooking.

INGREDIENTS
3 large cans (28 oz. each) of San Marzano Tomatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon/pancetta drippings

Meatballs
Use your own meatballs, fresh or frozen, or make this really good Italian Meatball recipe.

Sausages
Find 6 of the best-quality mild or sweet (it’s the same thing) Italian sausage that you can find. Poke a couple of holes in each one and steam them in a little water until cooked. Brown them well and set aside with the meatballs.

The Sauce

  1. In a large, heavy bottom pan, sauté 1 medium to large, thinly sliced onion in either olive oil, or better yet, bacon or pancetta drippings. Cook until nice and brown.
  2. Add one small can (6 oz.) of tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes with the onions.
  3. Take 3 large cans of good-quality whole Italian (San Marzano) tomatoes and put in your blender for about 2 seconds. Do not overblend, you don’t want tomato juice! Also very important…do not use crushed tomatoes or tomato puree…they just don’t have the same quality.
  4. Add tomatoes to the pot and stir.
  5. Add your cooked sausages and meatballs, bring slowly to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 4 hours, stirring occassionally.
  6. About 1/2 an hour before serving, add 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves.
  7. Serve over your favorite pasta or make manicotti!
Categories
beef Italian recipes

Italian Meatballs

Recipe courtesy of Toni’s Garden.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef 15% fat (anything less than that is too dry and has no flavor)
1/2 lb. ground pork
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped fine or pressed
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated romano cheese (good cheese is a requirement, no cheating here)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 cup dried plain breadcrumbs (home made if possible)
just a couple of grindings of black pepper—not too much at all

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 450F.
  2. Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly.
  3. Pour breadcrumbs over the top of the meat mixture and sprinkle with a little water to moisten, about 1/4 cup.
  4. Mix together until combined.
  5. Roll 1-inch diameter meatballs with your hands. If you want to make them more uniform, use a 1-inch scoop.
  6. Place all the meatballs evenly spaced in a baking dish and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until brown.
Categories
Best of Inuyaki dessert recipes

Sweet Potato Pie

When I was in college, I had a sweet potato pie at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles that was so bad it compelled me to learn how to make my own. It was one of my first culinary epiphanies.

I’ve been using this sweet potato pie recipe for years. I found it on the Web a long time ago, so I’m not sure who I’m supposed to credit, but here it is:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust (Dough/crust and I don’t get along. Mrs. Smith’s is my favorite store brand)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. For a lighter, fluffier pie, assemble this mixture in a blender and give it whir for a minute or so to incorporate some air into the mixture.
  3. Pour the batter into the pie crust and place the pie directly on the oven rack.
  4. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let the pie cool for a bit before serving.

For variety, you can top with 1 cup of toasted pecans and then drizzle the top of the pie with a little maple syrup before placing in oven.

(Picture courtesy of The Green Cutting Board.)